Collide
by SpaceGeek
Summary: A well hid skeleton falls from Grissom's closet when a headless body is discovered in the desert. GSR implied , Greg/Other
1. Chapter 1

Sunday, 20 January, 2008

Disclaimer: The characters and world of CSI do not belong to me. I've simply borrowed them for the time being and intend to return relatively unscathed and possibly, in better shape than before I borrowed them. Olivia, however, is mine to do with what I wish.

Collide

It was just a piece of desert like any of the hundreds he'd been to, but he could swear this was the same bush where he and Sofia had found Sara. Nick could see the body, half buried in the shifting sand, David kneeling over it.

"What have we got?" He asked.

"Female, no head, no hands. Somebody wanted to make our job a bit harder." Catherine came up behind him. "Andy ID?"

Nick pulled a battered wallet from the victim's pocket. "Well, robbery wasn't the motive, there's at least a hundred bucks in here. Nevada Driver's license…Olivia Grissom, age 26."

"Grissom? Are you sure?" Catherine snatched the wallet from Nick's hand.

"What are you looking for?"

"Aha!" Catherine pulled out a business card. "Emergency contact card…" The first number was all too familiar as she opened her phone.

/What do you need, Cath?/

"Nothing…just wanted to give you an update…the body's missing both hands and the head. Could you send Greg and Ronnie out to help search the area?"

/Sure, I just finished my case, I'll come too./

"No!" Catherine said quicker than necessary. "No, don't worry about it. I don't think who ever killed our vic would be careless enough to leave the parts around here…I'll call you when we have more information." She quickly hung up, meeting Nick's curious gaze.

"Who was that?"

Catherine held up the card. "Grissom, Emergency contact number one, our vic's father."

"Grissom? Our Grissom?"

"Apparently, you recognize the second number?"

"You've got to be kidding."

"Those two have some explaining to do. I'll call Sara until she answers if I have to."

By the time, they'd collected evidence from the body and surrounding area, Greg, and Ronnie ad shown up. The four CSI's canvassed the arid wasteland.

Returning to the lab hot, dirty and empty handed, Cath turned the coroner running head long into Grissom.

"Hey, Cath, have you identified your vic yet?"

"We found a wallet on the vic, but we're waiting on DNA to confirm…do you have a minute Gil?"

"What do you need?"

"We need to talk."

"Isn't that what we're doing?"

"This is important Gil."

"Fine. My office, ten minutes."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"What is it you needed to talk about, Cath?" Gil leaned back in his chair.

Sitting across form him, Catherine placed an evidence bag on his desk. "We found this on the vic."

The color drained from Gil's face as his finger lingered over the picture on the license. "Has Mandy given you a positive ID?"

"Not yet, she's still running it."

"…I have to call Sara…is she…with Al?"

"Al hasn't started yet, I told him to wait until he's heard from you."

Grissom was out the door before Catherine had finished. Shaking her head, Catherine headed to the break room

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Grissom felt sick as he opened the morgue door. He knew he should wait for the results from DNA, but he had to know. For the fist, time in a long time the sight of the sight of the room made him sick to his stomach. The cold steel and white walls struck fear in him as nearly nothing had before.

"You here for Cath's Jane Doe?" Al's voice startled him.

"Yeah, where is she."

Al Led him to the wall of drawers. He pulled one open and lowered the shroud.

"She has a scar…on her right arm…from her shoulder to her wrist…" Grissom started talking. "and on her left leg…one that looks like a tick-tack-toe grid…" He continued to ramble, putting off the inevitable. "Her senior year of high school…Powder Puff,…a rock that hadn't been cleared from the field…nearly broke her arm, but she won the game." Gil smiled, remembering her enthusiasm with which she tackled anything put in front of her. "Not sure what happened to her leg…"

He walked numbly to the table, reaching out and picking up the right arm, ignoring the ragged stump where a hand should have been. His fingers felt blindly for the familiar mark. There was no scar. Grissom closed his eyes and sent up a silent prayer of thanks.

"It's not her."

Al nodded, pulling the white sheet back over the body, staring after the retreating form of his friend.

Grissom shut his office door, appalled by his relief that the dead girl was someone else's daughter and not his. His relief didn't last long. The body might not have been Olivia, but what was her wallet doing on the body? He felt the throbbing start to build behind his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The characters and world of CSI do not belong to me

Disclaimer: The characters and world of CSI do not belong to me. I've simply borrowed them for the time being and intend to return relatively unscathed and possibly, in better shape than before I borrowed them. Olivia, however, is mine to do with what I wish.

Collide II

Catherine froze in the doorway of the break room. She felt like she was seeing a ghost sitting there at the table next to Greg laughing.

"Olivia?"

The young woman looked up. "Yes, do I know you?"

"No, sorry…does your father know you're here?" Catherine moved farther into the room.

Olivia raised her eyebrow. "He's actually told you about me?"

"Told who about who?" Nick asked taking his seat. "Hey Grego, you going to introduce your girl?"

Catherine ignored him. "No, he hasn't, but I think he'll have to now." Catherine spotted Grissom in the hall.

"Cath, you and Greg, you're going to continue with the desert case," Grissom started passing out assignments without looking up. "Nick, B&E down in Hender…" He had looked up and noticed Olivia. "Livy!"

"Dr. Grissom," Olivia smiled.

"My office, now." He didn't raise his voice, but his tone left no room for negotiation.

Reluctantly, Olivia stood to follow Grissom. Greg caught her hand. When their eyes met, Olivia shook her head and Greg let go of her hand. Catherine always wondered how people did that, had an entire conversation without saying a thing. Greg stared at the door, fighting the urge to follow.

"What was that all about?" Nick and Warrick looked at each other.

Greg just shook his head, giving in and going after Olivia.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Do you recognize this?" Grissom tossed the bag containing a wallet and drivers license.

Olivia took the bag, sitting in the chair in front of the desk. "It's my wallet; I left it at Becka's. I was going to go pick it up tonight when she gets off. Where'd you find it?" She passed it back.

The office door opened and shut. "Not now Greg." Grissom voice was hard as stone.

"Anything you need to tell me you can tell him." Olivia met Grissom's gaze. "I'd tell him everything anyways, this way he can hear everything first hand."

Grissom closed his eyes and sighed. He knew he'd give in to her, no matter what she wanted, he always had. Besides she didn't give up easily, she was her father's daughter.

"When was the last time you saw Becka?" He asked, trying to ignore the way Greg took Olivia's hand when he sat down.

"Yesterday morning, I'd spent the night for our weekly 'Girl's Night'. We had breakfast and I left for work, that when I left my wallet at her place. Why?"

Grissom's phone rang before he could answer.

"Grissom."

/Hey, it's Catherine. We got a DNA match./

"Who is she?"

/Rebecca Tagart, age 27. She worked in dispatch down at PD./


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The characters and world of CSI do not belong to me

Disclaimer: The characters and world of CSI do not belong to me. I've simply borrowed them for the time being and intend to return relatively unscathed and possibly, in better shape than before I borrowed them. Olivia, however, is mine to do with what I wish.

Collide III

Olivia grasped Greg's hand tightly as the followed Brass in to the interrogation room. Catherine walked in shortly after they took their seats.

"Miss. Grissom, you know Rebecca Tagart, correct?" Brass started, unfazed by her last name. "And you saw her yesterday?"

"Yes, Becka and I were roommates when I first moved here; I moved out three months ago. Two nights ago, we had our monthly 'Girl's Night'. The following morning we had breakfast and I left. We were going to go out tonight, on a double date, and she was going to bring my wallet." No one had told her what happened, but they didn't have to. "She's dead, isn't she?"

Brass watched her face carefully. "Now what would make you think that?"

"For one, I wouldn't be in here if she was still alive, and two, there was blood on the wallet my dad showed me. It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together."

Brass continued on, ignoring her question. "Was it only you and Miss Tagart at your 'Girl's Night'?"

"No, there were 8 of us altogether. I can give you a list of names a phone numbers." Olivia pulled a notebook and pen from her purse.

"So, what exactly did you do the other night? Club hop, hit the Strip?"

Olivia looked up, a frown on her face. "No, we get together at someone's place, a night away from boyfriends, husbands, children, parents, whatever. That night we made pizza, watched chick flicks and gave each other manicures and pedicures, slept in sleeping bags on the living room floor. No alcohol, no drugs." She slid a page from her notebook across the table. "That's everyone who was there, Bethany and Zoë left around 11, they didn't spend the night. Everyone else left after breakfast Saturday morning."

Brass studied the list; at the bottom, Olivia had included her own information. Eight women, one dead, seven suspects. "Miss. Grissom, do you know if Miss Tagart had any enemies? Someone who would want to hurt her?"

"No, sir." She answered quickly. "She was well liked among our friends, and at her job. Becka was always one of those people you had a hard time not liking."

"Thank you Miss. Grissom. Before you leave, CSI Willows need a DNA sample and your fingerprints." He nodded to Catherine. "Greg, can I see you for a minute."

Greg stood, squeezing Olivia's hand reassuringly, and followed Brass out into the hallway where Grissom was waiting.

Catherine waited until the door shut before she approached her boss's daughter. Olivia sat staring at her hands folded on the table.

"I didn't introduce my self earlier, I'm Catherine Willows." She sat down beside Olivia.

Olivia looked up. "Sorry…Olivia Grissom, but you already knew that. Shall we?" She nodded to the swab in Catherine's hand.

"You know, this is only so we can rule you out…"

"Not that you think I did it, standard procedure. I know. CIS I, LA."

Catherine smiled as she started the ten-card. "Following in your father footsteps? What does your mother think of that?"

"My biological mother? Who knows who cares. I haven't seen her since I was five. My stepmother, on the other hand, I take after her as much, if not more than my father." She took the paper towel from Catherine and wiped the ink from her fingers, carefully examine her ring, a small silver band engraved with Celtic knots. Satisfied that there was no ink on her ring, she continued. "Dad's actually the reason I moved. Mom thought he needed some at home to take care of him while she was gone. I wasn't going to argue, free rent; all I have to do is cook and clean."

"What about when you get married?"

Olivia looked down at her ring. "Mom will be coming back for the wedding, but if she can't stay, then I'll still be close enough to look after Dad. He'll never admit it, but he can be a bit absent minded at times and he need someone to ground him, at least that's what mom says."

"How long have you known Sara?"

"I guess it's been about ten years now. I was dad's student assistant at the seminar in San Francisco where they met."

The door opened before Catherine could pry anymore. Greg waited patiently as Olivia gathered her purse. He put a protective hand on her back as they turned to leave the interrogation room.

"Hey, Greg." Catherine called as the couple left. "Congratulations.

Greg smiled shyly, his ears turning pink as his arm tightened around Olivia's waist.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The characters and world of CSI do not belong to me. I've simply borrowed them for the time being and intend to return relatively unscathed and possibly, in better shape than before I borrowed them. Olivia, however, is mine to do with what I wish.

Collide IV

The ride home was silent. Despite her best efforts Olivia had landed in the passenger seat of her father's car rather than Greg's.

"So, is this considered protective custody? Or are still mad I didn't tell you about Greg and I?"

Grissom blinked. "I'm not mad about that, I just wish you would have told me...does Sara know?"

"Yeah." Olivia turned to the window trying to block the lights from her mind. "You going to lecture me?"

"You're an adult, you can make your own choices...you could do worse than Greg, were you engaged to Hodges, then I might have something to say." Grissom smiled trying to lighten the mood.

His smile faded as the red and blue lights surrounding their small house came into view. Behind the police tape he could see Cathrine arguing with Ecklie and a white faced Greg pacing in the road. "Livy, stay in the car."

Grumbling about disobedience, Grissom shook his head as the car door shut and he heard his daughters footsteps behind him.

"Cath, what's going on?" Out of the corner of his eye he watched Olivia and Greg and he waited for Catherine.

"Greg called it in, he thought it was a simple B & E, then he saw the body." She handed Grissom an evidance bag. "Sherridan Matthews, 29, lives in Henderson. She at your 'Girls Night'?"

Olivia glanced at the drivers licence and nodded. "Her husband and two kids were out in California visiting his family...they'll be back tomorrow..."

"She's been dead less than three hours...why would she come see you at 2 in the morning?"

"We were going to go shopping in the morning, then go to dinner and a movie for her birthday."

"Who's we?" Brass asked from behind, making Olivia jump.

"Zoe, Becka, Sher and myself." Olivia didn't faulter in her response.

Brass eyed her suspisously. "Gil, lets talk."

"Hey, Greg, take Livy to your place, she doesn't need to be here. I'll come and get her in the morning." Grissom turned and followed Brass under the police tape.


End file.
